Mirroring Kobe Bryant’s “Trash” Stateline, Anthony Edwards Made Jamal Murray Disappear in Game 7 vs the Nuggets

It was improbable yet in the hearts of the Minnesota Timberwolves the only possibility. All that mattered was one Game 7 against Nikola Jokic and the defending champions. The stage was set for a milestone. They went down 20. Anthony Edwards was having a horrific offensive performance. But as great players often do, they just find a way. That was the way of Ant.

Edwards might have only finished with 16 points and was far from the best player for the Wolves. That might go to Karl-Anthony Towns for his game-turning 23 points and 12 rebounds. Yet the predatory mentality of Edwards made him find a way to feast. He gave his undivided attention to Jamal Murray, who had 24 in the first half. Since being his main defender, Murray went pale.

Edwards forced 3 turnovers off the Nuggets point guard. The sensation of impact further fueled the urge of Ant Man. His shot, which was off all game suddenly began falling. The 2 time NBA All-Star did the dirty work, played tenacious defense, and finally hit the game-sealing three. Despite the unconventional winning impact, Edwards’ standard didn’t deter. “Damn, I’m trash,” he said to his teammate Towns during the press conference.

However, he might not have realized the fact that he pulled off a performance reminiscent of Kobe Bryant in 2010.

Anthony Edwards replicates Kobe Bryant

During the Bill Simmons podcast, a smell of shock and astonishment went around the room. “Minnesota did it,” Simmons said shockingly. As they went on to praise the young squad, the ball landed on Anthony Edwards. hey acknowledged his terrible shooting night, but also commended his tough spirit in finding a way to impact the game.

Simmons also noted how his performance was eerily similar to that of Kobe Bryant in the 2010 finals. They both had the exact same shooting stat line – 6 for 24. The Black Mamba did it on a much grander occasion. It was Game 7 of the NBA Finals against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. However, the fact that Edwards at 22 had the maturity and quick-minded thinking to overcome his slump and still be valuable is truly sensational.

The effect it had was the Nuggets offense, one of the best in the NBA crumbled. The pivot to it all was him guarding Murray. According to Simmons, he hadn’t seen any better defense played on the Nuggets’ clutch scorer. “What took it over for him, they put him on Murray at some point in the third quarter and Murray disappeared. And he did the best job guarding Jamal Murray I’ve seen anybody do,”. said Simmons. 

Only one sea is left to cross for the Wolves to enter their first-ever NBA Finals. A battle against the Dallas Mavericks, led by the remarkable scoring duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving awaits. Can Anthony Edwards and the Wolves do the improbable again or will Luka Magic have a trick up his sleeves?